Worst advice ever/sex education

Sex education of the 50's and 60's was just a tad different from what it is today. I always felt the farm kids had a HUGE advantage over us city kids. They were surrounded by the act of intercourse by watching the farm animals. There was a lot of bad info out there and I was getting much of it. Babies out the navel? Hey, maybe! My first source of info would be my Mom who was an RN. She was so "RN" that I needed to use a particular vocabulary when addresing parts of my body and excretions. I didn't have a "little peter", it was a penus. I did not have to make poo poo, it was a BM. Which for years I thought was spelled beum and thought that was just its name. So, enter biology class as a 9th grader and then next chapter was reproduction. All Right! Finally, I was going to find out how all this works. What did the chapter cover? Things like stamens and pistil and a flower. big whoopee! So, to mom I go and I ask her how babies are born. Here is a quote that I never forgot; " Well, when two people love each other they get married and then other things happen too." Yeow! Now there was the clincher!Another time I remember her telling me that sex is what we are, not what we do.    Obviously, I continued to live in blissful ignorance until Eugene Stadola clued me in. "You see", he said, "the baby comes out between the lady's legs". I told him he was crazy, that there was not enough room there for that to happen. You mothers out there will probably attest to that. I really don't recall where I actually heard how intercourse took place. Dirty jokes? Wise aleck remarks? Just don't remember.
Worst advice ever? Probably from my father. I don't know how the subject came up but I think I was in college. He told me if I ever felt I needed to have sex, that I should have it with a prostitute. I think he was probably trying to protect the innocent mid west girls from my advances. I can't quite imagine giving my sons that sort of information. Which by the way, I tried to give them a Godly perspective on a loving, sexual relationship within marriage. I didn't want them to have to go through what I did. The girls were Mom's responsibility. Back to my Dad. The advice he gave me, I believe, was not from personal experience. In one of his letters to his older brother, Jack, he talks about getting propositioned by a prostitute when he was stationed in Alaska. He told Jack, he could never do that because he was saving himself for "his Chucky". (My Mom)
I suppose there was other advice out there that was bad: invest in mutual funds, but the sex education is what jumped into my little pea brain first.

Skill I have learned from an elder

Two things come to mind:  A class in high school and instruction on cutting and splitting wood and all that goes with it.

I never learned about gasoline engines of any sort until I was a senior in high school.  I was down in the shop region, where up to this time I had avoided. RABBIT TRAIL- when I was in jr. high, I had a shop class and I was not good in it at all.  C+ on my windmill because my paint was running all over the place. Couldn't measure right, (still a challenge today)  so, I figured that just was not my bag; that is until my senior year.  There was a class called Power Mechanics that taught about gas engines.  Since I knew diddly about this subject, I thought this would be a good thing.  Heck, I didn't know a cam shaft from a crankshaft. Do you?  :-)  We got to take apart our parents lawn mower to "practice on".  That sucker never ran the same again.  I'm not talking about an improvement here.  Mr. Bergram managed to teach me about how an engine worked and the parts of it.  This knowledge carried over into my adult years where I have tried to do as much repair and maintenance as possible on my vehicles.  Some of my children have benefited from that knowledge. I used to replace mufflers and exhaust pipes, shock absorbers, spark plugs, adjust lifters, adjust carburetors and even replace a cam shaft with the help of a friend.  Now, with all the computers in cars/trucks, the most I still can do is change the oil and filter.  On a sad/dad note, I have failed to pass along this knowledge to some of my boys.  The story goes where I had one of my male fruit of the loins come out and check his oil.  "How would we do that, dad?"  I said, "first take out the dip stick".  "And where would that be?"  I had come short of preparing him on the workings of the automobile terribly.  He knows  now and even the daughters know.  There is still time!

Second story has to do with the education from an adopted father by the name of Dave Wilcox.  When I first came to Amery, Dave took me under his wing and taught me how to run a chain saw.  How to sharpen it, the dangers of it.  I even learned the hard way the files used to sharpen the chain wear out.  Wondered why I just could not get the saw to cut.   He taught me the fine points of splitting wood.  What you don't know about splitting wood, the wood will teach you.  This whole wood topic must be the theme of another blog but this baby is getting long, so I will sign off

My Biggest Lesson in Life that I have found to be true

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding and He will direct your path and make your way straight? Prov 3:5,6
The inventor know his invention far better than any other person. The inventor would know what is best for his invention far better than any other individual. Therefore, since my heavenly Father has invented me, He knows what is best for me and I must trust Him in that way. Who else would I look to? There is no other. This has given me great peace in facing the small trials I have had in my life. Nothing like so many others have had. When the time comes, I can only hope that He will provide me with the grace to face them.
This carries through to family, finances, health and possessions. I might not like it; that is not my job. The old Hymn: Trust and Obey. that's what it is all about.

Things that I enjoyed as a child that I enjoy today.

Being brought up on a 90 acre resort allowed me to do much exploring. As a young boy, 5-10 years old, this would include climbing trees to see how far I could see and watching wild life around me. Funny, that did not bother me but now, standing on a cliff or ledge? Yeow! Stand back. I would also find good places to build forts for protection. Protection from what you ask? Ah, the imagination would create the bad guys. Burying treasure and then creating maps to find the precious box again, ah what fun. I was alone much of the time at the resort so I needed to make my own fun and create imaginary companions to share in our great treks.
Now, am I still climbing trees and building forts? Not so much now even with my retirement time. However, I do like to find an elevated view so as to get the best picture. One thing still is the exploration. I still like to hike and see what my surroundings are like. My exploring nature has expanded to to further areas. This wonderful country or even across the ocean. God's wonderful forces have sculpted beautiful panorama of some I have witnessed and recorded but there is so much more to see. How much time will He allow me to do so with the gift of the bride He gave, I do not know. One cannot concern themselves with with that. As Nike would have it; Just Do it!

Most Important Advice I ever received.

Picture is taken at my retirement party, receiving a school bell as a present.
The most important advice I ever received was from my Uncle Jack. He was my father's older brother. I had been home for Christmas and was flying back to the lighthouse where I was stationed. Up to this time, others had taken care of me. All the way up through my college years, it was my parents. then came the Coast Guard and they determined my life. What after the Coast Guard was anybody's guess. Now, my flight had been held over in Chicago because of snow. I called my uncle who lived in the Chicago area and he came and got me. We got to talking and he asked what I was going to do after the Coast Guard. I said that I didn't know. His advice was: Head for something. You can always change your mind but YOU CAN'T STEER A SHIP THAT IS NOT MOVING. Shortly afterward, I watched Born free, about the relationship of a woman with lions. She actually gained their trust and respect. I thought, "hey that's pretty cool, I think I'll be a teacher; that's sort of like training wild lions." I have since passed on the "moving ship" advice to many students that I have had. They listened politely, don't know if they took it or not.

What was going on at my birth, my biggest disappointment and the joys of parenting

Picture is of oldest son Don in Eau Claire, winter of 73-74-Now his children ride in the sled.
1st blog- When I was born, our country was coming out of "the war to end all wars". How optimistic that was! Since then, I have lived through three other major conflicts: the Korean, Vietnam and the present conflict in the mid-east. I was right smack dab in the "baby boomer" population explosion. My graduating class in Rice Lake was the second largest ever to graduate. I think it was just in the last few years that there was another class larger than our 235. During those post war years were good years for our country economically and morally compared to where we are now. I suppose old folks have looked back and made statements like since time began.

Music was still the big band of Tommy Dorsy and others but rock and roll was just around the corner.

I don't remember much about movies then. They all were in B and W. I do remember my folks taking me to see "Abbott and Costello and the Mummy" and it scared me out of my wits. I spent most of the time on the floor under the seat. I have seen it since and I understand why I was so scared. I have been able to watch it now with out hiding behind the coach or having bad dreams afterward. It was difficult for me to separate what I saw on the screen from what was real. Any time I saw something die, I just cold not process that it was not real. My Mom tried to explain, but after all, I saw Old Yeller die with my own eyes!

I think one of the largest disappointments of my life was the loss of my father when he was only 52. I was 25 at the time and I was just getting to know him as a person instead of just a father. He died quite suddenly of a cerebral aneurism. I have often pictured him with his grand children and they with him and how he would have enjoyed them and they with him.

My mother used to say that couples with out children would lead a lonely life when they got older. I would have to concur with her. It is also a time pride to see what kind of adults they have become. Also, what kind of worker, what kind of spouse, what kind of parent, what kind of Christian. Not to mention the companionship they bring when we get together. The great entertainment they provide for Mom and me. I am so grateful to God for giving us our childrem to my wife and I. I am so blessed.